Jersey City YMCA

In the 1850s, the Jersey City branch of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) came to be, as one of the first 30 YMCAs in the country. It was organized locally by a flour merchant named T.W. Hinchman; the mission was to promote community service, self-improvement, and mutual assistance. The original location was in rooms of what is now the Gregory Apartments, at the Gregory and Henderson streets intersection. The YMCA moved several times until relocating in 1909 to Montgomery and Greene Streets; several branch locations were opened. After raising funds for five years, a new YMCA building was built on the Bergen Avenue lot which had been purchased for $35,000. The Edward Corning Company was chosen in 1922 to construct the new YMCA, a seven-story fireproof building of brick and limestone. The project was estimated to cost $500,000 and aimed to serve "young men in need." The cornerstone was laid on June 26th 1923. A last fundraising push added another $350,000 to the $500,000 that had already had been donated, to finish the building. A grand opening was part of a four-day gala in October 1924. The plans for the impressive building were published in the journal American Architecture.

The detailing on the main (Bergen avenue) side makes the building appear larger than it is, with belt courses of limestone, and brick and limestone pilasters. The first story is faced in ashlar limestone. Windows on the second story alternate between limestone pediments that are pointed or round, in an Italian Renaissance style. A medallion in the center of the third story belt course holds a flagpole. A parapet reads "Young Men's Christian Association." The front portion of the building is the part that remains standing, and contained the dormitory rooms on floors three to seven, meeting spaces, and offices. The basement held a kitchen, bowling alley, and a cafeteria. The rear, stuccoed portion (demolished recently) held a swimming pool, multi-story gymnasium, and fitness rooms that were open to the public. Dorm rooms typically held a twin bed, small writing desk, chest of drawers, and an easy chair. The average age of the male residents in the 1920s was 24 years, with an average stay of 9.5 months.

The main entrance was modernized in the mid-1950s with aluminum framed glass doors atop granite steps; the original featured Corinthian columns and bronze doors. The lobby and parts of the main and second floors were altered in the 1950s as well, with dropped ceilings (hiding the exposed beams and fancy plaster medallions), drywall, and linoleum floors or carpeting. The roof, used for sunbathing, received an outdoor shower in the mid-1950s renovations. Coed and family programs were introduced to the YMCA in the 1950s. Original terrazzo tile, wood paneling, and brick/ terra cotta fireplaces were still present in parts of the building in the late 1990s, when the property was documented for a National Register nomination.

The Community Builders Inc (TCB) is one of the country's top nonprofit housing organizations, with properties in 14 states and the District of Columbia. They acquired the financially-troubled Jersey City YMCA building in 1996 and renovated it by 1999 into 131 affordable housing units - 59 single rooms and 72 studio apartments - for the homeless. The building, renamed Bergenview, was the largest "supportive housing" project in New Jersey. The 1999 agreement with the City of Jersey City to provide Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for rehabilitation of the building by TCB required the structure to contain units affordable to those of low and moderate incomes for a period of at least 30 years. The building's condition has deteriorated over the last two decades, and the property was sold to be renovated once again. The new owners in 2020, Bergenview Urban Renewal LLC (established in 2018), will assume the 1999 mortgage and affordable housing agreements with Jersey City agreed to by the prior owners, New Hope Urban Renewal. The Leviticus Fund granted a $1.45 million redevelopment fund for the first phase of the renovation. The boiler was to be removed from beneath the gymnasium adjacent to the housing units and a new boiler was to be installed in the cellar of the apartment building. The gymnasium and racquetball courts portion of the YMCA property, previously run by the Jersey City Department of Recreation and open to the public, was to become part of a new 10-story adjacent building. Fairview Heights, with 92 mixed-income residences.

Anonymous. "$500,000 Jersey Y. M. C. A.." New York Times (New York, NY) November 10th 1922.

Anonymous. "'Supportive Housing' in Jersey City; Mixed Uses In an Old Y." New York Times (New York NY) April 1st 2001, 11 sec, 1-1.

Hamilton, Cynthia Rose . NRHP Nomination of Jersey City Y.M.C.A.. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1999.

Jersey City, City of. Bergenview - Sale of 654 Bergen Avenue, Civicweb.net. September 23rd 2020. Accessed February 26th 2021. https://cityofjerseycity.civicweb.net/document/34372/Bergenview%20-%20Sale%20of%20654%20Bergen%20Avenue.pdf.

Leviticus Fund. Revitalizing a Home for the Homeless, Leviticus Fund. October 30th 2019. Accessed February 26th 2021. https://www.leviticusfund.org/revitalizing-a-home-for-the-homeless/.

Opencorporates. Bergenview Urban Renewal LLC, Opencorporates. January 16th 2021. Accessed February 26th 2021. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_nj/0600451586.